Annie and Lee are just children at the start of the story in an orphanage, but for this story, they are rising stars in the new regime. The relationship when they were children is important to explain the situation now and how they look out for each other.

Initially, I thought this would be like the fourth wing - but there is much more with a revolution, and politics and debates about whether you can change society with a revolution. But the dragons are a great leveller, bringing excitement to the story.
There is loads of suspense, which is why I am going to read the next book now, as I can't leave the story there.

Unfortunately, I did not seem to get along with this book, the story felt stilted and slow and I could not engage with it as I hoped. It certainly has an interesting premise and I’m sure will be greatly enjoyed by many.

Not going to lie - loooove dragons, so this book is right up my street.

I really enjoyed this, there’s a lot too it. Evil previous regimes, murder, revolution, I suspect a nod to a certain communist country in the not to distant past. Never mind a little bit of love, betrayal, and quite honestly, some unpleasant bits…..you name it, this has it. It’s not a simple story, there are threads to be unraveled and followed.

An excellent start to what I’m pretty sure is going to be a fantastic series. I look forward to reading the new book.

My thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers for letting me review such a wonderful read

i found the book very atmospheric you could really feel like you are there with the characters the setting was perfect .
the plot is one of those things you think you know what is happening yet you have no idea jaw drop most of the time for me .

i loved the fact the story had DRAGONS the best .

Overall I think the story was fast paced and the writing flowed very well . highly recommend

I am giving the book 4 fire breathing stars

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Fireborn took me a little while to get into, but once it clicked, I was fully invested. The dual POVs of Annie and Lee are brilliantly distinct, with each facing their own inner battles that made them feel layered and real. Annie’s journey especially stood out with her growth and self reflection, these were the powerful moments in the plot and felt genuinely earned.

The political intrigue was a major highlight for me… complex, clever, and just the right amount of messy. I also appreciated that the dragons didn’t take on a massive role. Their smaller scale involvement made things feel more grounded, though I did find myself wishing for a bit more background or history about them.

All in all, a gripping and thoughtful start to the series and I’m keen to dive into the next book.

I really did enjoy reading this book, but at the same time it took me longer to get through it than i expected.
There is a fair bit of worldbuilding in this book which i did appreciate and Rosaria does a wonderful job of describing things without it being too heavy. The characters are varied and each have distinct personalities. There are a lot of characters and it did
take me a little while to remember who each of them were in relation to the story.

I really appreciated the relationship between Lee and Annie as it was conflicted and complicated for so many reasons and this made it all the more compelling.
I am glad it was a multi POV book as i think that gave it much more depth.
I will definitely be reading the next book in the series to see where that takes the characters and what happens to them

4.5 Stars!

Fireborne is a great example of a well written YA Fantasy with a riveting plot. It follows the story of two teens, Lee and Annie, as they become dragonriders for the revolution that overthrew the old dragon lords ten years ago.

The initial world building was a little confusing in places and I needed to reread a few things to help it make sense, but after this, there were no issues. The story and plot really do engage you and there are multiple levels to what's happening, why it is and the wider politics. The book really explores some quite serious themes such as class and impression,in a seamless manner. The pacing of the plot for the majority of the book was steady, perhaps a little slow in places, but definitely ramped up towards the end.

I really enjoyed the character of Lee, and the things he had to grapple with. I felt a lot of empathy for him, and wished this could have been extended a bit more by the FMC earlier in the book! Annie was a little frustrating at times, though her character really does start to develop in the last quarter of the book. There was a sprinkle of a slow burn romance across the book and I'm interested to see where this will develop further.

I found myself looking forward to getting back to reading this book and thinking about it when I wasn't reading. I would definitely recommend it to those who love a satisfying YA Fantasy book.

OK… so I actually think this is one of my favourite books. It sucked me in straight away and I finished it in a couple of days. It’s like Fourth Wing but better and without the smut. The storyline is fab and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

I will start off by saying the first half of the book felt a little slow to me but I still really enjoyed it. I don't mind a bit of a slow burn/long build up sometimes.
The world building is done well and I always love a dual POV. The past chapters were also interesting and i enjoyed the development of Annie and Lee's relationship. Lastly, the dragons! Love the dragons, very Fourth Wing vibes so if you love Fourth Wing then you will like this 😊

I honestly just could not get immersed in this book.
Every time I could feel myself getting drawn in I was thrown back out again by just sheer confusion.

The world building is far too blunt, new words and characters are thrown at you without any explanation as to what or who they are.

There are far too many things going on at one time, giving no focus to any one thing for long enough to understand it.

Won’t be continuing with the series unfortunately.

From the premise, I thought this sounded like a winning formula: politics, friends to lovers, competition and dragons. I was not disappointed.

Fireborne is a fantastic YA romantasy set in a boarding school for dragon riders, so ideal for anyone wanting something to fill the void while they wait for the next part of Fourth Wing! The worldbuilding is done brilliantly, and I could see how much thought Munda put into establishing the politics.

The characters are well-developed and well-rounded, and I absolutely loved the relationship between Lee and Annie and seeing how it changed and shifted over time.

A fantastic read, and I can't wait to see what's next in this world!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fireborne, particularly following Annie's character development, and the twists and turns of Annie's and Lee's complex history.
The world and lore is introduced to us well, at a pace that is easy to follow, whilst allowing for some theorising when reading it.
The story caught me off guard in parts, in the best way, and really made me empathise with the characters.
Really looking forward to reading the next in this series!

I loved Fireborne by Rosaria Munda!!

I was hooked from the start. Our characters are so well developed and the growth we see from them as they age up was really well done.
The trials were amazing, I love a book with trials and this really didn't disappoint.
I can't wait for more in this series!

Told from the alternating perspectives of Annie and Lee, Fireborne explores the fallout of a revolution through the eyes of two young people who once stood on opposite sides of power. Before the uprising, Lee was the privileged son of a Dragonlord, his future secure and planned. Annie, by contrast, was the daughter of a farmer oppressed under Lee’s father's rule. Now, both are orphans, both marginalised in the new regime—until they’re chosen as dragonriders, stepping into roles once both feared and revered. Their shared desire to break from the past and shape a better future is what both unites and divides them.

But the authors world building is just as well-executed and powerful as the characters. The narrative is set almost ten years after the revolution, and it presents a society that is having a hard time recovering. This portrayal is refreshingly realistic. It takes time for change to occur. The author exposes a system that, in spite of its opposition to the old order, is all too ready to reproduce its worst features . With no easy heroes—just people attempting to make their way through a broken world—it's a sobering, perceptive look at power and survival.

Let's not forget the dragons. Even though they might not take centre stage, the story takes off when they do. These moments are vivid and cinematic, ranging from intense training sequences to heart-pounding combat.

A brilliant new dragonrider series in the genre of Fourth Wing and the Kingdom of Liars. I loved every page of it. The noble dragonrider class has been brought down in bloody revolution, and a more meritocratic society based on ability rather than birth has been introduced. Leo, saved from death by a kindly soldier, and youngest son of the Stormscourge family has grown up in hiding. Now adult, he is one of the best dragonriders sworn to protect the city but his loyalties are tested when, unexpectedly, the remnants of his family who escaped the massacre are preparing to take back everything they lost. Leo is placed in an impossible position and has to make impossible choices. I thought this was an excellent first instalment of a new series and have wished for its sequel Flamefall - publishers please grant my wish! I need to read what happens next straight away!

I kind of expected the first 60% to go a bit quicker as I feel like the description of the book tells you what happens upto that point. The final 40% was amazing though and I really loved it. I couldn’t believe a certain someone’s intentions. Annie and Lee were super cute and the dragons didn’t feel like a tokenised trait. I will read the next books in the series as overall I enjoyed the world-building and the questioning of what is morally okay and where to draw the line really kept me hooked. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A captivating, richly written story of rebellion,, friendship and love. Annie and Lee are brilliant, I greatly enjoyed the dual perspectives, emotional depth and the bond between Lee, Annie and their friends. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Orphans of the revolution, Annie and Lee have grown up together, becoming each other’s closest friend. With the leadership of the city’s dragonriders at stake, the two find themselves pitted against each other. But this competition isn’t the only threat they face as survivors of the old regime make themselves known, and Annie and Lee must decide: is blood thicker than water and is the new regime truly an improvement on the old?

Fireborne has been on my radar for a while and I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy as soon as possible once I realised it was being published in the UK – massive thanks to the publisher, DK Children, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication to provide an honest review.

Rosaria Munda has crafted a fantastic fantasy world full of politics, intrigue and dragons. While the politics were complex, I found myself fully immersed in this world thanks to the strong worldbuilding and interesting characters. I particularly liked how the world wasn’t over-explained – we get enough of the backstory to understand it but it didn’t require pages and pages of set-up, exactly the right amount of worldbuilding for me. There was only one part I really struggled with: I am pretty sure the dragons were described as being horse-sized because of their ages. As someone with a horse, I found it really hard to picture dragons and not some kind of horse/dragon hybrid. I’m hoping we get more of the dragons in future books to help me get a clearer sense of what they are like. We got a few hints as to the relationship between a dragon and their rider, but I’m really keen to see more of this.

The main characters, Lee and Annie, had so much depth. I loved the fact the POV switched throughout each chapter. In some cases this meant getting the same situation from both of them and this really allowed me to understand their thoughts and actions. I also appreciated the flashbacks to the development of their relationship as children. It offered an interesting counterpoint to the present where we see the two of them start to drift apart (are they on opposing sides?) and I kept going back and forth on who I agreed with and felt for the most. The book asks a lot of questions about loyalty: to your family, your friends, your beliefs, your leaders, and it really made me think.

I also loved how real they felt. They aren’t perfect, they make mistakes, they question things – they felt very human. And there is a small hint of potential romance without it overwhelming the plot. I love a slow burn so this was perfect for me.

One minor point: I believe the main characters are in their late teens, but they felt older. Probably a consequence of what they lived through and the training they received, but I probably would have liked them to be slightly older in line with this maturity. It was hard to believe they were teenagers and I could very easily believe this was adult rather than YA.

This is probably one of the strongest starts to a fantasy series that I’ve read and I’m so excited the rest of the trilogy is releasing in the coming months as well – I can’t wait to continue!

This story of a different world, or dragon riders and the overthrow of the dragon lords had me captivated. I am not in the intended age group for this book (young readers) but I really enjoyed reading about the trials and tribulations of Lee and Annie who meet in an orphanage and go on to become dragon riders.
Well written with the writing going between the 2 protagonists written in the first person, making it feel like it’s happening to the reader.
Anyone who enjoys fantasy and adventure will love this book. I am looking forward to the next one!

I haven’t been this excited about a book since Fourth Wing! It has everything; a fast-paced plot, complex characters, tragic back stories. I especially loved the excitement and tension of the tournaments! Will be recommending to my friends and can’t wait for the next instalment!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.